Editor 's note : Sarah Hughes won the gold medal in figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , Utah , and is a graduate of Yale University .

Medalist Sarah Hughes says the Games are about excellence and unity .

-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- What are the first thoughts that pop into your mind when you hear the word Olympics ? Probably something synonymous with excellence , greatness , excitement , achievement .

Maybe it 's the striking image of Nadia Comaneci scoring a perfect 10 etched in your mind , or the experience of following Michael Phelps ' quest to win a record-breaking eight gold medals last summer in Beijing , China .

Or is it the thrill of watching the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal in Lake Placid , stacked up against unimaginable odds , that occupies that space ?

I could go on and on , but whatever image the Olympics has for you is probably accompanied by a feeling of pride , happiness , joyfulness , maybe even a childlike glee .

Sometimes it 's the simple way you can sum up your response to the question -- and perhaps that 's the point of asking the question -- but it would be foolish to ignore other aspects of the Games that contribute to making the event happen .

Although the presence of public officials at host-city bids shows the International Olympic Committee that they are behind the bid and will be supportive , such appearances are not required .

On Friday , President Obama , a Chicago , Illinois , resident for many years , will arrive in Copenhagen , Denmark -LRB- his wife is already there -RRB- , to support and try to persuade the IOC voters in favor of the 2016 Chicago bid .

Obama 's visit to Copenhagen will make him the first U.S. president to attend an Olympic host-city vote . His visit will not be the first by a president -LRB- or prime minister -RRB- whose country went on to win a bid for the Games .

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife were in Singapore lobbying IOC members for the 2012 Summer Games host-city vote when London was awarded the event . Two years later , Russian President Vladimir Putin went to the host-city vote in Guatemala when Sochi , a relatively unknown city , won the right to host the 2014 Winter Games .

The other 2016 contenders vying for votes from the 100-plus eligible members of the IOC are Madrid , Spain ; Rio de Janeiro , Brazil ; and Tokyo , Japan .

Michelle Obama , a lifelong Chicagoan enthusiastically championing the U.S. bid , is displaying her `` Olympic spirit . ''

On Monday , the eve of her visit to Copenhagen , she spoke of being ready to woo each voter individually if need be : `` Gloves are off . I 'm talking to everybody . That 's what my schedule looks like . '' Sounding like an Olympic competitor already herself , she added that she did n't `` think there 's one person left off . ''

It is easy to come to the conclusion that I might be biased , having won a gold medal in figure skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games , but I was an American and a fan long before those Games , and I will be one long after .

The memories , unity and patriotism from the Salt Lake Games was n't about any one particular thing but about all those little `` things '' coming together : the result of what the participants -- the fans , volunteers , competitors , coaches , moms , dads , sisters , brothers , cities and nations -- created by sharing the best we have to offer with one another .

That 's what the Olympics are about . They are about greatness , they are about excellence , but above all , the Games are about unity .

In a September 10 letter to IOC members , Obama wrote about how he `` sees the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an extraordinary opportunity for America to renew our bonds of friendship and welcome the world to our shores with open arms . ''

And on Friday , when Obama arrives in Copenhagen , he will be joined by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva , newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and King Juan Carlos of Spain .

Let the Games begin .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sarah Hughes .

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Sarah Hughes : Obama is among other world leaders who have sought Olympics

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She says Games are about excellence and unity in support of U.S. teams

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She says Michelle Obama is showing she shares the Olympic spirit